In unexpectedly bad news, Kroger and Albertsons have announced a planned $25 billion mega merger. Who are they, I hear you asking. Well, only 2 of the biggest grocery store chains in the US. And this would be an absolute disaster for grocery shopping in the Pacific NW. A further deterioration of what is already a poor state of affairs in our region. The 3 biggest grocery stores, and the ones that I frequent, are Fred Meyer and QFC (both owned by Kroger) and Safeway (owned by Albertsons). None of them are particularly great, especially in light of the ridiculously inflated food prices we currently have, but between them I can just about get what I want. But if they combine together, then I suspect that will no longer be the case. It's only going to push me into frequenting places like Walmart and the Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market more regularly. And maybe even joining Costco. Based on the headlines and amount of coverage this news is getting, it appears the merger may get some serious pushback from lawmakers and others. Which is good. But what we really need in our region is some decent competition and variety - I would welcome an Aldi or Lidl with open arms.
No comments:
Post a Comment